The Affair — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Series overview

The Affair explores the emotional effects of an extramarital relationship between Noah Solloway and Alison Bailey after they casually meet at the diner where Alison works. The series begins with the Solloway family traveling to the resort town of Montauk, New York. Noah is happily married to Helen with four children (Whitney, Martin, Trevor, and Stacey), but he resents their dependence on his wealthy father-in-law. Alison is a local waitress trying to piece her life and marriage to Cole back together after the death of their four-year-old son. The story of the affair is depicted from Noah's and Alison's perspectives respectively, complete with memory bias which often results in vastly different scenarios. Each episode has two parts, one as remembered by Noah, the other by Alison.

In the second season, the narrative is expanded to include the perspectives of Noah and Alison's original spouses, Helen and Cole, as they all move forward with the dissolution of their marriages and deal with the ramifications. The subsequent death of Alison's brother-in-law, Scott, and the ensuing police investigation and criminal trial, are explored in flashforward scenes at the end of most episodes. Alison gives birth to her second child, Joanie.

The third season is set three years later, following the culmination of the flashforward trial scenes, after Noah is released from prison. Season 3 introduces an occasional perspective, Juliette Le Gall, a professor and Noah's love interest.

In the fourth season, Noah has moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his younger children Trevor and Stacey, as Helen and Vik have moved there. Noah is also an English teacher at a charter school where he gets romantically involved with its principal, Janelle Wilson. Cole and Luisa are living together in Montauk, while Alison is working as a grief counselor. Season 4 features opening flashforward sequences, featuring Noah and Cole, in its first four episodes, which ultimately lead to the discovery of Alison's death. The central perspectives of Noah, Helen, Alison and Cole continue, with the latter two reaching their conclusions; a one-off part from Vik's perspective is also featured.

The fifth and final season takes place in two different time frames: a present-day storyline including Noah, Helen, and their four children and the other decades later featuring a now-adult Joanie Lockhart returning to Montauk and discovering the truth about her mother's death. The season introduces the perspectives of Joanie and Whitney alongside Noah and Helen, as well as one-off parts from the perspectives of Janelle and Sierra.

Recurring cast

Victor Williams as Detective Jeffries (seasons 1–2, 4)

John Doman as Bruce Butler, Helen's father (seasons 1–3, 5)

Kathleen Chalfant as Margaret Butler, Helen's mother (seasons 1–3, 5)

Mare Winningham as Cherry Lockhart, Cole's mother (seasons 1–2, 4)

Colin Donnell as Scott Lockhart, Cole's brother (seasons 1–2)

Danny Fischer as Hal Lockhart, Cole's brother (seasons 1–2, guest seasons 3–4)

Michael Godere as Caleb Lockhart, Cole's brother (seasons 1–2, guest seasons 3–4)

Kaija Matiss as Mary-Kate Lockhart, Hal's wife (seasons 1–2, guest seasons 3–4)

Deirdre O'Connell as Athena Bailey, Alison's mother (seasons 1–2, 4)

Darren Goldstein as Oscar Hodges, owner of The Lobster Roll (seasons 1–3, guest season 4)

Nicolette Robinson as Jane, waitress at The Lobster Roll (seasons 1–2, guest season 4)

Stephen Kunken as Harry, Noah's publisher (seasons 1–2, guest season 5)

Lynn Cohen as Joan Bailey, Alison's grandmother (season 1)

Jennifer Esposito as Nina Solloway, Noah's sister (seasons 2–3)

Richard Schiff as Jon Gottlief, Noah's attorney (season 2, guest season 5)

Joanna Gleason as Yvonne, a publisher who, along with her husband Robert, owns the guest house in which Alison and Noah stay (season 2)

Peter Friedman as Robert, Yvonne's husband (season 2)

Brooke Lyons as Eden Ellery, Noah's publicist during his book tour (seasons 2, 5)

Brendan Fraser as John Gunther, a prison guard (season 3)

Danny Mastrogiorgio as Detective Stanton (season 3)

René Ifrah as Detective Romero (season 3)

Sarah Ramos as Audrey, a student of Noah and Juliette (season 3, guest season 5)

Jonathan Cake as Furkat, an aged photographer, Whitney's love interest (seasons 3, 5)

Christopher Meyer as Anton Gatewood, an intelligent student at the school where Noah teaches (season 4, guest season 5)

Russell Hornsby as Carl Gatewood, Janelle's ex-husband and Anton's father (seasons 4–5)

Emily Browning as Sierra James, Helen and Vik's neighbor (seasons 4–5)

Ramon Rodriguez as Ben Cruz, a Marine veteran and Alison's love interest (season 4)

Zenobia Shroff as Priya Ullah, Vik's mother (seasons 4–5)

Zuhair Haddad as Abdul Ullah, Vik's father (seasons 4–5)

Adam Shapiro as Joel, a teacher and later principal at the school where Noah teaches (seasons 4–5)

Claes Bang as Sasha Mann, an A-list movie star and Helen's love interest (season 5)

Max Fowler as Colin, Whitney's fiancé (season 5, guest season 4)

Lyriq Bent as Paul, a sports agent and Joanie's husband (season 5)

Mozhan Marnò as Petra, a Vanity Fair journalist who interviews Noah for her magazine feature (season 5)

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Adeline Taylor, Sierra's mother (season 5)

Dana Drori as Christianna, the daughter of Sasha's deceased fiancée (season 5)

Michael Braun as EJ, an epigenetics scientist who helps Joanie (season 5)

Jaidyn Triplett as Thea (season 5)

Critical response

The first season received praise from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 90%, based on 130 reviews, with an average rating of 8.15/10. The consensus reads: "Thanks to some smart, creative storytelling and spectacular performances, The Affair is a somber, bewitching exploration of truth and desire." On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 85 out of 100, based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

The second season received continued positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 90%, based on 126 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The consensus reads: "The Affair shifts its emphasis in season two, moving psychological drama to the foreground and expanding the show's central crime story to include two new points of view." On Metacritic, it has a score of 78 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. Club gave it an "A−" grade and wrote that "With its bold new move to double our number of perspectives, it appears that The Affair will sail over that sophomore slump that has felled so many other Showtime dramas.

The third season received positive reviews from critics, although less acclaim than the first two seasons. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 71%, based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The consensus reads: "The Affair adds to its cast of strong characters and deepens the mood, tension, and intrigue, even if the plot sometimes struggles to move forward." On Metacritic, it has a score of 72 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The fourth season received continued positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 91%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The consensus reads: "The Affair's captivating character study returns with fewer kinks than its previous outing, resulting in a more emotionally grounded season that regains much of the show's initial allure."

The fifth season received continued positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 88%, based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The consensus reads: "As addicting and outlandish as ever, season five proves the perfect farewell for The Affair." On Metacritic, it has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The Affair

Comments

The Affair

Trailer

Where to watch

Family guide

Cast & creators

Comments

The Affair across IJR

Article

Family guide

Cast & creators

Article

Series overview

Cast

Recurring cast

Production

Reception

Critical response

Home media

International broadcast

International version

Trailer

Where to watch

The Affair across IJR